My Story: Jungsoo Jung

Seoul, CA

My name is Jungsoo Jung and I am from the Goodwill Processing Center in South Korea. At the Processing Center, I go out on the road. I take care of loose seams, steam clothes, tag clothes and sometimes even deliver them.

Compared to working at Goodwill now, working at my previous place of employment was very frustrating. This is because there were not as many people with disabilities there. There was a fellow co-worker who both worked and went to school with me and he made my life very difficult.

I learned about Goodwill through the church young adult group and my mother asked me if I would be interested in volunteering there, so I did. At Goodwill, they take donated household items, sort them, process and then sell them. Through this business, Goodwill connects people with job opportunities throughout the country.

My current boss treats me very well. At this place, we are able to eat well, and everything is very delicious. Since we go all over Seoul to collect donated goods, I feel like we have wandered all over the country. I love that I can go out to other places.

At Goodwill, I have also learned how to operate the truck lift. I have learned how to greet customers, how to sort items as well as how to work safely. I have also learned how to treat the donated goods preciously. I am thankful that when our donors give us their donated items, they are very polite and nice to us. When I go to pick up donated items, I always smile and thank them for their generosity.

I am grateful to be able to work at Goodwill, and I believe I can do my job well. I am becoming more and more used to my work now, and I hope to be able to do my job even better. I am going to work hard, and I am going to get a raise.

I am going to buy birthday presents for my mom, dad and younger sibling, and I am also going to buy a gift for my parents’ wedding anniversary. If I start dating, I am going to buy all of the things she likes to eat and share them with her.

I want to save my money and buy a house, too. And if reunification happens, I want to take time off and go on a vacation to the hot springs in North Korea. I want to take a vacation to the United States but I don’t speak English so I’ll need a guide. I thank God that I can work at Goodwill.

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Gail

January 14th, 2012 at 10:05 pm

Jungsoo Jung’s story makes my heart so happy. I know that his parents and his entire family are proud of him. Thank goodness for an organization such as Goodwill! Just because someone has a disability does not mean that this person does not have abilities and talents. In a lot of cases a person who has had to deal with a disability and with the ridicule of others (ignorant people) strives much harder than the average person to do a good job and is reliable. I know from personal experience as there is a person in my family with a disability who was made fun of and has overcome several obstacles. This person has three college certificates and lacks one class for her Associate’s Degree. So, I say to Jungsoo: “Congratulations! I wish You the Best and Continued Success! Thank you for telling your story. It gives the rest of us hope.”

You are the gift! I love your story! Such a lovely lady will be lucky to find a guy like you someday! Your family is so lucky to have a great son like you! Keep you the good work! your story is an inspiration to all!